diff --git a/doc/accords/frr-name-use b/doc/accords/frr-name-use new file mode 100644 index 000000000000..c2529e7a0cb6 --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/accords/frr-name-use @@ -0,0 +1,69 @@ +Usage of FRR names/logos +======================== + + +As FRRouting has become a popular open source suite of routing protocol +implementations, it has also become popular to use FRRouting as an environment +to prototype or test new features/protocols/etc. in. Such use is absolutely +welcome (and a freedom guaranteed by the GPL license). + +However, references to FRRouting in such context can be misunderstood both as +endorsements as well as promises of current or future availability. To contain +such misunderstandings, we would like to place the following limitations on the +use of the "FRRouting" name (or "FRR" where clear by context) as well as the +"chicken-head" logo (as they are ultimately "valuable trademarks"): + +- Advertisements, presentations, announcements, etc. of projects based on + FRRouting may only reference the 3 above-mentioned marks if the full source + code of said project is publicly available (under terms compatible with + FRRouting's licenses and without any access barriers) and locatable (either + by direct link or a reasonable search) on the internet. + +- References to code or features using the wording "in" FRRouting may only be + made for bits that are part of FRRouting's "master" or "stable" branches (or + history). This is specifically about the word "in". + +- use in previously created documents/publications/... is permitted + ("grandfathered"), so long as the use retains its context. Noone is + expected to scan their history and eliminate references. + + +The intent is as follows: + +- you are under no obligation to publish code just because it exists. The + above are only restrictions on the use of FRRouting trademarks. + +- The code itself being derivative of FRRouting (and therefore containing the + name/logo) is not considered use of the trademarks. You do not need to + eliminate the name from your private codebase. + +- pushing your code to github and/or opening a (maybe draft) PR trivially + fulfills the availability condition above, and we'd like to encourage this + as the "default". However, publishing on your own hosting services is also + acceptable. + +- please use phrasing like "available *for* FRRouting" or "we have implemented + XYZ *using* FRRouting", and refrain from "available *in* FRRouting" or "we + have implemented XYZ *in* FRRouting". In particular due to the world-wide + and multilingual nature of the FRRouting community, *in* carries too high a + risk for confusion - and conversely, reserving this term also allows clear + and meaningful signaling of some (your?) code in fact becoming part of + FRRouting. + +- while "advertisement" may create an impression of "sales call" or "vendor + presentation", this also applies to engineering processes such as IETF + standards development work. + + +These rules, while lawyer-y to some degree, are intended to convey FRRouting +community consensus and help clarify communication. We certainly hope we will +never need to pick them apart or even legally enforce them. However, in the +spirit of all legalese: + +This document is not to be construed as any grant of rights, guarantees, +agreement or other similar, even implicit. + + +P.S.: note that "Free Range Routing" is not a name we use, and neither should +you - there seem to be conflicting trademarks from completely unrelated +parties.